What is Facebook’s Audience Network (FAN)? Audience Network allows marketers to extend their Facebook Ad campaigns beyond the social media site into various mobile apps and websites. These mobile apps and websites are approved by Facebook as places where Facebooks Ads can be shown.
Description: Through Audience Network, marketers can share their advertisements from their Facebook Ads campaign on other Facebook-approved mobile apps and websites.
If you are a business owner, chances are that you have jumped on the Facebook marketing bandwagon, and if you haven’t yet, you are probably considering it. Given the fact that more than 2 billion people use the social media site on a monthly basis and that 1.4 billion people are active users on a daily basis, it’s no wonder why organizations of all shapes and sizes, and in all industries, are using Facebook as a way to reach their targeted audience and increase their business.
If you’re just getting started with marketing on Facebook, you may be under the impression that the advertisements you place on the social media network on show up in the newsfeeds of Facebook users and in other locations on the site. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, you will be surprised to learn that Facebook shows ads on several other mobile apps and websites outside of its own platform, such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram, as well as Facebook Audience Network.
Facebook Audience Network Defined
Facebook Audience Network was introduced in 2014. Essentially, it is an in-app advertising network that is designed for mobile apps outside of Facebook. FAN gives marketers the option to show their advertisements to consumers who use mobile apps and websites outside of Facebook. This allows marketers to expand their reach outside of the social media platform while still being able to take advantage of the comprehensive and easy-to-use ad system that Facebook has designed.
That’s not all that Facebook Audience Network is; it also an opportunity for monetization. Facebook Audience Network is available for anyone to use. When users engage with the ads that are displayed within your app, Facebook will share some of their ad revenue with you.
Why is Facebook Audience Network Appealing to Advertisers?
Audience Network is appealing to advertisers for a number of reasons. Some of the biggest appeals of FAN include:
- Audience Network provides the option to use native as, which help to improve user experience, as native ads feel less like ads and are therefore more engaging.
- Audience network drastically improves audience reach.
- Through Audience Network, ads have the ability to “follow” your audience across several mobile apps, websites, and devices.
- Using Audience Network can help to drastically reduce your cost per revenue because there are more network impressions available.
Why Use Audience Network?
If you are already paying for outstanding ad placements and excellent engagement on Facebook, why should you want to use Audience Network? As this question is answered, keep in mind that while the ads offered through Audience Network won’t be placed on Facebook, you will still be able to take advantage of the exceptional targeting that Facebook provides.
Two of the biggest benefits of using Facebook Audience Network include:
- Greater reach. The fact that your advertisements will be shown on other platforms can help you connect with an even larger audience, and perhaps an even better audience. Furthermore, because ads that are associated with Facebook’s Audience Network tend to stand out more in other apps than they would in a Facebook newsfeed, your ads will likely be more noticeable, which also helps to extend your reach. On top of all of this, Facebook’s newsfeeds are becoming oversaturated with advertisements. This means that there’s a really good chance your ads could be scrolled over without getting so much as a glimpse. By using Audience Network, your ads will be more visible, as they won’t be viewed as “just another ad in a newsfeed”.
- It’s cost-effective. The placement of ads through Facebook’s Audience Network is a lot less expensive than other types of placements. This includes Facebook, as well as Instagram. By using placements through Audience Network, you can drastically reduce your cost per revenue on your ad campaigns. This will allow you to make higher bids on other ad placements and maintain your cost per action bids.
Types of Facebook Audience Network Ads
Facebook Audience Network allows marketers to place their ads in the following three formats:
You can use whichever option works better for you – still images, video ads, or a combination of both. Do keep in mind, however, that you should make sure that you use the proper aspect ratio for both still images and video ads in order to ensure that all of your ads will always look amazing.
How Does Facebook Audience Network Work?
Essentially, Facebook Audience Network is the social media sites version of Google’s AdSense program. Both work very much the same, but here’s an overview of how FAN works:
- People who own websites or apps who are interested in joining Audience Network can submit an application to do so. Publishers must agree to let Facebook place advertisements on their apps or websites.
- Marketers set up advertisements on Facebook Ads Manager. Any ad placements that are Audience Network-enabled will automatically run on the Audience Network.
- Facebook places advertisements on the mobile apps and websites that they partner with. Marketers bid to get their ads on placements.
- Facebook generates revenue on the ads they run. They share the revenue with the individual who owns the mobile app or website that advertisements are being run on.
Joining Facebook Audience Network
If you are new to advertising on Facebook, you might be under the impression that joining Facebook Audience Network is tricky; however, in actuality, it is quite simple. It only takes around 15 minute to join and Facebook provides detailed instructions throughout the entire process.
The steps that are involved with joining Facebook Audience Network include the following:
- Configure an app on Facebook
- Develop ad space and ad placements for advertisements
- Test out Audience Network Ads in the app you are using
- Submit your application for review
- If approved, you can make your ads live and will be asked to provide information to receive payments
Joining Facebook Audience Network really is easy, and it provides so many benefits. If you want to take your advertising efforts to the next level and you are looking for another revenue source, you should consider joining Facebook Audience Network. It’s a great opportunity for advertisers and mobile app or website publishers. It is certainly an asset and can provide you with some great results, whether you are a marketer or you own an app or a website.
